12908/A Day In The SHIELD Food Court Like No Other

A Day In The SHIELD Food Court Like No Other
Date of Scene:	28 September 2022
Location:	Food Court: Triskelion
Synopsis:	Meatball sub day is popular in the SHIELD commissary. Cap gets a seat at Lara Croft's table and stories are swapped.
Cast of Characters:	Steve Rogers, Lara Croft

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Steve Rogers has posed:
Today is a special day in the SHIELD mess hall. While the food is probably better than what you'd find on most any military base, there is a definite favorite there. The chef's meatball sandwiches are the favorite of many in the building. The meat is delicately spiced, going perfectly with the cheese and then the marinara sauce is otherworldly. On the days they are served, every two or three weeks, the traffic through the Food Court might approach double what it sees on a normal day.

Which makes for long lines, as Steve Rogers finds as he arrives in the large Food Court. He spends more time with the Avengers than at SHIELD, so it is a happy coincidence when he happens to be in the building on a day that the chef's special dish is being served.

Steve gets into line with everyone else. Glancing behind him he spots a familiar face, someone he's worked with before and gives him a friendly nod. "You can really tell when they have the meatball sandwiches," he says, glancing around at the large crowd, many people sitting at the tables to eat, others taking their food back to their offices or outside.

Lara Croft has posed:
The man behind Steve is younger, mid 20s, and looks to Cap with wide eyes, but then gets a cocky grin on his face. "Yeah, well... I wouldn't expect too much from caffeteria food, right?" He asks with a little chuckle. His tray gathered up, he starts to reach for some of the food out on the warming pans. "Besides, place like this, it's about the company we choose to sit with, right? But, ya gotta be careful with that too. Never know what kinda weird problem-riddled person you'll end up asking to sit with. Like being back in High School, or something." The man says whilst reaching for a little plate of mashed potatoes. "Course, your Captain America, you probably get to sit in some special area with fancy table cloths, and a live orchestra playing." He adds with a grin to Cap.

It's a moment after that where Lara Croft passes by some of the people sitting already. The sound of someone saying her name can be heard, and a bit of a British accent being teased at her, along with something said about her being a 'Duchess'.

This gets the man behind Steve to glance over to Lara, then back to Steve. He leans in toward Cap then and nods once at him. "Like that one." He says in a hushed voice. "Hot as hell, but damn, she has issues..."

He glances in Lara's direction, as she sits down at a empty two-person table, and sets her SHIELD jacket over the back of the chair, then sets down a covered salad bowl that she opens up while slipping down in to the chair, dressed in a dark blue tanktop and grey trousers, with black boots on her feet, her hair tied back in a pony-tail.

"I kinda like them crazy myself though." The man adds with a wicked smirk at Steve.

Steve Rogers has posed:
A soft chuckle is given early on by Steve about having a special place to eat. "No no, I normally get something out at one of the street vendors actually. Though I've had the meatball sub before and it's worth staying in for," he comments. Steve grabs a tray, and a glass to fill up from one of the dispensers at the end of the line.

His own eyes had fallen on Lara Croft of their own accord, before the man behind him said anything, not that the other man could see that with the direction Steve was facing. Though at the comment, Steve glances back to him and over to Lara again.

"I have bumped into her once or twice but don't really know her," Steve comments. He looks back to wave off a worker wondering if he wants to add a bowl of creamed corn, but does take some broccoli with cheese on it. The meatball sub station is further ahead in the line.

Glancing back over to Lara as she takes a seat, Steve asks the man behind him. "Issues?" he repeats. "What... sort of issues do you mean?" he asks slowly, as if hesitant to voice the question that is near to gossip.

Lara Croft has posed:
"You haven't heard?" The SHIELD Agent says back to Steve. He gives another glance toward Lara, then back to the food as he reaches for some fresh fruit in one of the little dishes. "I got a friend who works in the Psych department. She said that the Duchess has a number of red marks on her ledger, if you get my meaning. Like she's killed a bunch of people. Plus, she has ... night terrors because of it, stuff like that." He shakes his head back and forth then as he looks over what he's got on his tray. "It goes back to that island thing she was apart of. Canibals and crazy shit like that. They say she got that TV guy killed too, the explorer dude, Whitman, or whatever his name was..."

The man then reaches out for some of the fried chicken on a plate. "Some people say she's not in jail because she agreed to work here, with us. Well, that and the whole 'royal family' crap. I swear, those people never have to answer for any crimes they are apart of." He snorts a laugh at himself then while looking past Steve. "Oh man, do they have Rice Krispy treats today? God, I love those..."

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve Rogers doesn't comment that he'd actually read a little about the incidents on the island. Not in any official SHIELD files, just something from the internet. "It can be rough dealing with, well, far less than it sounds like she endured," Steve comments to the other man.

Steve gets one of the meatball subs from the smiling chef. "Thank you," he tells the cook, then glances back at the man behind him. Steve gives him a nod for a goodbye as he leaves the line, heading over to the drink dispensers and filling up his glass with lemonade.

After that, he makes his way across the cafeteria. There are no full open tables, and not even that many empty seats with the day's entre as popular as it is. His search for a table brings Steve near to where Lara is seated at her two person table.

Lara Croft has posed:
"No doubt, Captain." The man says back. "Enjoy those meat balls." He adds with a grin before going straight for the Rice Krispy Treats!

With Steve passing by, Lara doesn't immediately look up, but she does when she 'feels' someone standing there. It's then that she looks up from her salad, and her phone to see him, and a smile crosses her expression. "Captain Rogers." She says. "Are you waiting for someone?" She inquires then before she sets her phone down on the table beside her food, and reaches for the water bottle she had in her jacket, only to uncap it and lean back in her chair. "You're welcome to sit here with me, if you're looking for a place." She notes, with her eyes going around the nearly full mess hall. "It's a busy day...."

Steve Rogers has posed:
As Lara addresses him, Steve's blue eyes turn their attention to her fully and he gives her a soft smile. "Agent Croft," he says, adding a nod of his head towards her in greeting. "No, no one else joining me," he says. "I was just trying to spy a place to sit down," he says in answer to her question. "So thank you, most kind of you," he says, taking his things off of the tray and setting the plates down directly on the table, then taking a seat.

Glancing around at the crowded cafeteria, an affirmative nod is given about how crowded it is. "I know the cook's meatball subs are a favorite," he comments. "Rhodey always has it circled on his calendar when the month's meal schedule comes out," he adds with a soft chuckle. "And I can't blame him. Have you tried it?" he asks, gesturing to the meatball and cheese sub, with a thick layer of marinara sauce over the contents.

Steve takes a sip of his lemonade and then situates his napkin in his lap.

Lara Croft has posed:
The talk of the meatball sub has Lara smiling yet-more as she glances at it, then shakes her head. She caps her water and sets the bottle beside her salad. "I haven't. It looks very cheesy." She tells him with a little, quick, grin. "I struggle with food... admittedly. I've been a light eater my whole life. Now, I mostly just eat to keep my stomach quiet, so I can go back to doing... whatever it is that I've been occupying myself with." She states in her calm British way. Another smile is given to him then before she reaches for the black plastic fork she was using with her chicken and tomatoe salad.

"I even am a silent owner of a restaurant here in New York, with a good friend as its Head Chef, and he's often trying to get me to sample things like that..." She nods toward the sub. "I think you and he could talk at length about how delicious they are." She says with another tiny grin given.

Steve Rogers has posed:
The commonality between Steve Rogers and Lara's chef friend gets a soft grin from Steve, and probably encourages him to say, "Well, he'd probably want you to sample this as well. I can cut you a sampler if you'd like," he offers, picking up his knife and gesturing to the sub which is large enough giving part of it away wouldn't leave a person wanting for a meal. Even without the vegetables that Steve has also.

"What kind of restaurant is it?" Steve inquires. "I can't say I'm a light eater exactly. Though, I have a few friends back where I stay who probably make me seem that way in comparison," Steve comments. The stack of pizza boxes outside Banner's door sometimes when he's been Hulk for awhile can be quite immense.

Steve cuts the sandwich in half for easier handling while he waits to see if Lara wants to try some of it as well, ready to make another cut to give her a portion. "The food is definitely quite better than what I was used to. We ate pretty simply in my day. A lot of meat and potatoes. Some pasta," he says. "At least in my neighborhood."

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara pops a tomato in to her mouth and chews it through before she eyes the sub sandwich again. After another sip of water she sets the bottle down once more and exhales. "Okay, you've talked me in to it. Just a small part... I think." She says with a bit of tentative hesitation to her tone. "Jonah's Place, is the name, it's in Greenwich Village. It's a little bit of everything, but it's meant to be a reflection of Jonah's life, my friend, that is. He's... had a varied journey to get here. From growing up in Hawaii to joining the military, and traveling the world... There's quite a lot to choose from, even simple meat and potatoes styles too." She says with a grin before she'll accept that part of the sandwich that he cuts off for her.

"You grew up during the... late 20s and in to the early 30s, right?" She asks of Steve then, as she'll lift the sandwich up for a bite, being as careful, and proper, as she can with it.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Enough of the end of the sandwich is cut off and carefully placed over in a clear spot on Lara's plate that she'll be able to get a taste of the meatballs, the cheese and the marinara. Around the Food Court people are munching away on their own sandwiches, requiring an extra measure of napkins to dab the marinara from the corners of their lips if they aren't careful in the eating.

Once Lara has been given the taste, Steve picks up a half of the sandwich and takes a bite. He chews it slowly, savoring the taste. Very much an Italian style marinara, well-seasoned and that has been reduced for hours to build up the flavor.

"Yes, born in 1918," Steve replies to Lara. "Childhood through the 20s. And then the Depression hit. Things were quite different in those days because of it," he says. "Little got thrown out. You learned to reuse, repair, or find a use for just about everything you could," he says thoughtfully.

"So how did you and Jonah meet each other?" he inquires as he takes another bite of the sandwich.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara samples the sandwich, and nods her head several times to it before shee dabs at her lips with a napkin from the table's dispensor. "Is very good..." She says with a little laugh while covering her mouth. "Ahem..." She then states, lowering her hand again. "Yes, the Depression era, that must have been a very challenging time to grow up, but one that likely ... I don't know... helped make you in to the high quality person that we've all come to hear of?" She asks, before shaking her head. "I apologize. You probably do not like to hear people constantly placing you upon some verbal pedestal..."

She clears her throat then softly. "Jonah was the cook aboard the Endurance. The exploration ship that my group and I were on when it hit the storm that ended up sinking us, and... as they say... the Cook always lives. Thankfully. He too, is a very wonderful person." She says with a fair amount of affection in her voice for her friend.

"And this is good, you're right. Messy, but good." She states, glancing down at herself to make sure she didn't dribble on to her shirt.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Lara might have noticed Steve is prone to a small amount of self-deprecation, even if just in the form of expressions. Perhaps it has roots in what she comments about. "It definitely made for some challenges," he agrees. "I don't know, maybe it helped prepare us for what was to come in the 40s. Even if it probably had a bit to do with causing the 40s as well. As a historian you'd probably know more of that than I," he says.

As Lara tells him about her connection to Jonah, Steve takes another bite of the sandwich. He obvious savors it, grabbing his napkin to wipe a bit of the sauce. "This actually takes me back," he comments while giving a small gesture with the sandwich.

"In... it must have been 44, I was in Italy. Germans had taken over most of the fighting there. And we were scouting prior to launching an offensive," Steve tells Lara. "Was with three others of our unit, and we came across this small Italian village. Just a few houses, a little cafe, a smithy and one or two other shops. Some barns. They were hiding, but when they realized that we weren't Germans they came out," Steve reminisces.

"They'd had a lot taken from them by troops foraging for food. But they sat us down in the cafe, and dug out things they'd been hiding," Steve says. "The meat, I'm still not sure what it was. But it was seasoned so delicious. And the woman made a marinara sauce for it," he says in a savoring tone. "This is a lot like it," he says, motioning with the meatball sub again.

Steve's eyes grow a bit distant, and a little of the smile fades. "We passed through the area about a month later. The area had been shelled. A lot of the buildings hit, and no one was left. Never did find out what happened to them," he says more quietly.

The man clears his throat softly. "Sorry, I suppose that ended on a little bit more of a downer than I was intending," he tells her apologetically.

Lara Croft has posed:
While Steve speaks, Lara enjoys the rest of the sandwich bit that he'd cut off for her. She smiles here at the first part, before letting it fade as she could tell where it was headed there-after. He gets her to shake her head gently as she glances down again, then uses the napkin to dab at her fingers. Another swig of water is taken before Lara lets out a soft breath. "World War II has more stories of that nature, than any era of Human history, I believe. It's... astounding to think just how much impact on our history that War had, while not even being that long ago, in the grand scheme of things..." She states in a soothing tone of her calm voice. Another shake of her head and Lara glances to her salad, before looking back up at him, and tilting her head.

"Spam." She tells him. "I bet that meat is what is known as Spam today. It came from that era, if I'm not mistaken..." Another little smile is there, then gone before Lara glances around the room, then regards Steve again.

"This might be overly personal, but how... does it feel to be in your situation? A man out of time, so to speak?" She asks, while forking at that salad again. "After my parents died, I felt a loneliness that I can't even begin to describe with words. I never had friends... either, as a child. None my age, anyway. I grew up playing Chess with our home's staff, or my father. But after he was gone... that was it, until I went to College." She refocuses her eyes on Steve's blues. "I'm guessing, it might feel a bit like that, though." She says more somberly then.

Steve Rogers has posed:
The guess that it might have been Spam gets a gesture from Steve as if that might indeed be a possibility. Canned meat having taken off back then as it traveled well for the troops.

As Lara asks the more personal question, Steve's expression is open enough she'll likely feel fine proceeding with it. After, he gestures towards her. "I suppose you probably hit it one," he tells her. He falls silent a moment, looking down at his plate, a fork relocating some of the broccoli as he's in his thoughts. "So much was different when I woke up and found it was 2017," he says quietly before looking back up and fixing his true blue gaze on Lara.

"That my friends were gone, well that weighed on its own. Of course. Though I think the thing that really overshadowed it all was this feeling that I didn't fit. The common things that everyone takes for granted about the people around them... they weren't there anymore," Steve tells her.

He pushes some of the broccoli around again. "I suppose I've adjusted more to it over, what it's been five years now. And I've made new friends. And rediscovered a few. Bucky and Peggy. But, yes, there's a sense of loneliness. More often than people around me would probably believe," he tells her.

He looks across the table to Lara, gazing over at the woman who managed to describe and empathize with those feelings he's kept mostly hidden from those around him.

Lara Croft has posed:
What he says just has Lara gently nodding her head in confirmation of it all. She shows a smile though when he mentions a couple people that have joined him living on to today. "Well..." She softly says after forking around some of the salad in her plastic bowl. "If it helps..." She leans forward ever so slightly, and whispers over the table to him. "I don't think anyone feels like they fit in." She says before smirking, and leaning back. Her mostly bare shoulders shrug then as she glances down at her food. "At least, in my experience. I've come to realize that most people are just pretending that they feel comfortable in their life. We're really just all trying to survive this crazy, fast, life that we've carved out for ourselves in this world of endless modernity chasing." She says up at him with another warm smile.

"If you ever need to share stories about your life before, don't hesitate to find me and share them with me. I'm happy to hear them. It's not often that I get to talk to someone who directly came from history. I mean, sure, you're not quite as far back as my reesearch tends to take me, but... it still qualifies." She states before putting another bit of salad on her fork and in her mouth.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Amidst the bustle and background noise of the numerous conversations in the busy cafeteria, Steve's attention stays focused on Lara. Her offer yields what looks like a grateful smile from the man.

"If you'd like to pick my brain about what life was like back then, I definitely don't mind," he tells her. "I've enjoyed getting to talk to you. Both times now. And without any gunfire either," he says, his smile growing along with a chuckle at the first time he met her on the gun range.

He finally takes a bite of the broccoli, then washes it down with a sip of the lemonade. "Do you still feel that way? The loneliness you had when you were younger? Or did your college experiences allow you to get past that?" he asks her. "I never went to college. And I'm a little skeptical, the few modern movies I've seen about it, whether I should take them for how it really is," he says. "Tony made me watch... what was it? Something about an Animal House, I think?" he says. There were so many pop culture things people exposed him to in those first year or two especially. "But I know a lot of people say it was the best time of their lives. Was that the case for you?"

Lara Croft has posed:
After a little more of her salad, and another drink of the water, Lara shakes her head, a smile visible again when he mentions Animal House. "I haven't seen that movie, but I've heard of it before. It has a reputation, to say the least. The kind of thing they'd never make today..." She trails off there before considering his question. Her shoulders raise up some, her elbows on the edge of the table as she lets her perfect posture wain a little while thinking.

"I would say that I'm in the best part of my life right now, point in fact." She says back to him finally then, a happy expression showing. "I have friends, I have the career that I've always drempt of. I... certainly have my sorrows, like anyone else. Times that I miss, nostalgia for times that will.. never come back. But, I think if I give credit where it is due, then I have a lot to be very thankful for right now. I just hope... to build upon that, you know?"

Another quick smile graces her visage before it is gone just as quickly. "We only have so much time in this life, and who knows if we'll even see it through to it's natural conclusion. It's best to, do everything we can to be happy now, as happy as we can be, before those moments can no longer be gotten."

Steve Rogers has posed:
As Lara smiles, it seems to draw out a little bit more of that expression from Steve Rogers as well as he looks at her face. The combination of warmth and beauty would leave one hard pressed not to be affected by it positively, and Steve is no exception there.

"That's quite a good attitude to have," Steve agrees, that smile he gives her growing just a bit more. "I'm happy that you've found such a good place. And if there are any lessons to be learned from my own life, not letting moments slip away would be pretty high up the list," Steve tells her. His tone is somewhat nonchalant, but it's also not too difficult to tell there must have been some missed opportunities that he sees when he looks back on his life. Though the man doesn't seem one to dwell on such failures too deeply.

He takes another bite of his sandwich, having worked his way through it slowly as he's savoring each bite on its own. "Thank you again for letting me join you. And, might I ask, is it alright with you if I call you Lara?" he asks.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara warmly smiles to him then as she raises the bottle of water up once more. "Hey. Any moment where bullets are not flying past us, is one to savor, I should say." She tells him before taking another sip.

"And besides..." She starts again while twisting the cap back in to place on the bottle. "If nothing else, when you're ready to retire from such heroics, you'll always have a wonderful plan to start up a Meatball Sandwich Store. One styled after your memories of another time in Italy perhaps. Nothing could keep your positive memories alive quite as well as doing it through delicious food." A grin is given once again before Lara looks down at her phone.

"Ah... I have a meeting, back at the offices. I better get going." She says while picking up her things, putting her bottle and phone back in her jacket, and putting the lid on her mostly finished salad. "Thank you for the company. You kept Stillwell from asking to sit with me again, which is beyond helpful." She speaks, glancing toward that man that Steve had been talking to in line about her. She looks back to him then as she pulls her dark navy blue SHIELD jacket back on, and pulls her ponytail out from within it behind her shoulders. "Maybe we'll bump in to each other again around here..." She says happily toward him.

Steve Rogers has posed:
"I hope so," Steve says of bumping into her again. "And I'll definitely keep the sandwich shop in mind. Good to have an option to fall back on," he says. "Though I'd probably have to talk to the chef there about coming on board if so," Steve says with a thumb towards the cook who is basking in the adoration of fans of his meatball sub. "I can cook a few things, but I don't know that I could do something like this, even with the recipe," he says.

"Goodbye Lara, thank you," he tells her, his smile a bit a brighter than it was when he first came into the cafeteria. When the young woman departs, his eyes follow her for a bit longer before finally looking back to his food as he finishes his last few bites. Alone with his thoughts.